New PSA Series about Type 2 Diabetes Prevention in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities

Now available: "Our Cultures Are Our Source of Health"

The CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation
(DDT) Native Diabetes Wellness Program (NDWP) and the Traditional Foods
Project’s tribal partners are pleased to announce the availability of video
public service announcements (PSAs) entitled “Our Cultures Are Our Source of
Health.” The PSAs highlight the wisdom of cultural knowledge, including
harvesting local foods and playing traditional games, in promoting health and
preventing diseases like type 2 diabetes in American Indian
and Alaska Native communities.

American Indian and Alaska Native adults
are twice as likely to have diagnosed diabetes as non-Hispanic whites. In addition, Native American youth aged 10 to 19
years are developing type 2 diabetes at higher rates than
youth in other racial and ethnic groups of this age.

The PSAs were filmed
on site at the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and feature representatives
from tribal partners from across the United States, as well as renowned
Cherokee actor Wes Studi, known for his movie roles
including Avatar, The Last of the Mohicans, and Dances with Wolves.